Meet the Author

The FermentedlyChallenged blog has been retired since the end of October 2016. It has been a great 9 year run. Thanks to all the readers and brewery staff for all your support in the past. I'm living in the Denver metro area and working in the Cable TV industry now. Cheers and enjoy beer responsibly. Follow along on social media - @ChipperDave on Twitter and on Facebook.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Today is Ask A Stupid Question Day. This "holiday" was created by teachers back in the 1960s to encourage students to ask more questions in the classroom. Sometimes even a stupid question is better than not asking a question at all. It's also reportedly National Drink Beer Day! Isn't every day National Drink Beer Day? (See, ask a stupid question!) Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Friday, September 28th, 2012.

Colorado Beer News is published daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. Stop back here often for all the latest. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (Loveland) - New releases keep coming at Grimm Brothers. They have a Barrel Aged Wee Heavy release planned for Saturday, October 6th at their taproom. Grimm Barrel Aged Wee Heavy is a malty strong brown ale that has been aged for 6 months in bourbon barrels. It's classified in the Scottish Strong Ale style. This beer features a strong malt flavor and aroma blended with the sweet vanilla oaky flavors from the bourbon barrels and just enough hop bitterness to balance out the finish. The brew weighs in at a hefty 9% ABV so be prepared! Also, Grimm Brothers is planning to release a Dunkelweisen in the next week or so.

Bristol Brewing Co (Colorado Springs) - Hey Boulder! If you head over to Alfalfa's Market (liquor store) today from 4-6, if you buy a 6-pack of Bristol beer you'll get a 7th bottle free. Look for Brady, he'll be there with tastings of Beehive Honey Wheat, Mass Transit, Red Rocket, and Laughing Lab. Alfalfa's is located at 1651 Broadway in Boulder, CO. Prost Brewing Co (Denver) - ‎"Follow that Cart" will be on hand for the Oktoberfest celebration today at Prost Brewing Company. A Maß or two of Märzen bier would go great with their delicious sandwiches. Also, The Rhinelanders will also be there today playing live music from 5-8 p.m. Come check out their Alpenhorn. PROST!

Hops & Pie (Denver) - A week from today on October 5th at 6:00pm, Hops & Pie will be tapping a special 1st Friday firkin of Dry Dock Brewing's Whiskey Oaked Wee Heavy Strong Scotch Ale. This is a rare treat not to be missed. It's big and bold just like a Scotsman and weighs in at 9.5% ABV and 30 IBUs. This firkin will not last long so get there early to get a taste. Then stop back on Saturday, October 7th starting at 2pm for their Littlest Big Beer Fest. This month they will be featuring the beers of Great Divide Brewing Company. Six different beers including some vintage 2008 Old Ruffian, 2010 Hibernation Ale, Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, Grand Cru, Altbier, and Fresh Hop Ale. Don't miss it! Located at 3920 Tennyson Street in Denver, CO.

Trinity Brewing Co (Colorado Springs) - For those of you who missed out on their first batch of Emma's Pumpkin Saison, fear not! Their second batch of Emma's is being released tonight in their taproom! Both in draught and in bottles. Don't miss it the second time around. Also, tonight their Houdini Hopper - Simcoe Fresh Hopped Ale is being released at 5pm.

All Colorado Beer Festival (Colorado Springs) - One of Colorado's biggest Colorado only beer fests and one of the few fests in November now has tickets on sale. It's the 6th annual All Colorado Beer Festival. Breweries are already starting to sign up including Paradox Beer Company. The fest is scheduled for Saturday November 3rd. Two different sessions at the Colorado Springs Expo Center. Details at: www.allcoloradobeerfestival.com.

Hop Tips - Attention hop growers. Now that the harvest is over be sure to leave the bines any where from 2-4 ft and feed the plants some slow release fertilizer. This will give you a great head start for next year. If you live somewhere where the weather gets really cold and dry like here, mulching with plain old straw helps keeps the roots moist and warm. If you bought from High Hops Brew Shop in the first years of their sales you should have some mature plants and should be able to harvest rhizomes this upcoming spring! This tip brought to you by High Hops, Hop Farm and Brew Shop in Windsor, CO.

Oskar Blues (Longmont) - If you head to Daveco Liquor in Thornton today for their Oskar Blues tasting from 4pm to 6pm, if you buy some Oskar Blues beer during their special they will give you some extra Oskar Blues beer Free! Stock up for the weekend ahead.

Wild Woods Brewery (Boulder) - Boulder's newest brewery now has another new beer on tap today - Honey Nut Blonde, made with Colorado wildflower honey and toasted almonds. It joins the 6 other flagship beers also on tap. Stop in for a taste if you've yet to discover this new nanobrewery. Located at: 5460 Conestoga Court in Boulder, CO.

The Colorado Affair (Denver) - The Beer for Brains Foundation will be hosting the 2nd annual beer festival The Colorado Affair at the Ghost Plate and Tap in Denver, CO on Friday, October 12th from 9pm to midnight. This event is co-sponsored by Breckenridge Brewery and Wynkoop Brewing Company and will feature not only beer but also some light appetizers. Beers include: Breckenridge Well Built ESB, Breckenridge Barrel Aged Christmas Ale, Breckenridge Porter's Pride (meant only for GABF winners), Ska Brewing Hoperation Ivy, Colorado Cider Grasshop-ah (a hopped cider), and Elevation Beer's Apis IV. They will also have barrel aged specialties from over a dozen other breweries. The cost is $50/pp and limited to about 70 people. Check out http://www.thebeerforbrainsfoundation.org/ for details.

New Belgium (Fort Collins) - New labels and beer names just got approval for three new New Belgium beers. We can look forward to these beers in the coming weeks: New Belgium Biere de Peach Barrel Ale, New Belgium Prickly Pear Passion Barrel Ale, and New Belgium Dunkel Apple Barrel Ale. No other details were available.

Fireman's Brew (California) - Fireman’s Brew, a Los Angeles-based craft beer company founded by two firefighters, announced that it has secured a distribution agreement with Republic National Distributing Company to distribute its award-winning beers throughout the state of Colorado. Fireman's Brew is now available at numerous on-premise and off-premise locations serviced by Republic National Distributing. Through the agreement, Republic National Distributing Company will distribute Fireman’s Brew signature beers in 12 ounce bottle six-packs, twelve-pack samplers and kegs including: Fireman's Brew: Blonde (Pilsner), Fireman's Brew: Brunette (Dopplebock), and Fireman's Brew: Redhead (Amber ale). More info at: www.firemansbrew.com.

Twisted Pine Brewing Co (Boulder) - The work is finally done! The curtain that's been hiding their new expansion is coming down tonight at 6:00pm! There's still a bit of work left to be done but they didn't want to wait to show it off to everyone. Lot's more room for enjoying Twisted Pine beers!

Oktoberfest in Colorado (Annual List) - The harvests are coming in, the weather is starting to cool, and towns and communities in Colorado are celebrating Oktoberfest! The 2012 Colorado Oktoberfest page has compiled a list of over 30+ communities in the Centennial state that have Oktoberfest or Harvest festivals planned. Festivals run through early October.

Live Music at CO Breweries - Beer and music go great together and many of your Colorado breweries and top watering holes offer up live entertainment on a regular basis. Check the Colorado Brewery Music Listings and see who's playing at your favorite brewery or beer bar near you. Most places have no cover charge. Updated daily.

There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog. "Like" us and get even more soon after it happens. Thanks for helping us grow to over 1100+ "Likes" so far in 2012!